[Britster]

Originally Posted by alaskayorkie

To play it safe, I agree with Nancy. My breeder said much the same thing.

That said, I bent the rules with Jillie for one main reason: I think those first weeks of a dog's life are incredibly important for socialization, and you should be doing everything you can in those weeks to expose your dog to people, places, things and other animals. I didn't take a public class that young, but I did take her to meetups with a handful of friends. I knew them well and I knew their dogs well. We met at a location I deemed safe from exposure to other dogs who might have a disease.

It was a risk, and my breeder wasn't happy with me, but the risk paid off. I have a terrifically social 4 1/2 pound Yorkie. If she'd been exposed to a disease, I would likely be singing a different tune, but in my case the risk was worth the reward.

This.